Bahrain Feature: The Regime's Public-Relations Army of US and British Consultants (Chan'ad Bahraini 2.0)
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 8:24
Bahrain’s embassy in Washington DC signed a contract with the DC-based Potomac Square Group on the 17th of February, three days after the start of the uprising. The firm is run by Chris Cooper, a former Wall Street Journalist reporter. He writes on his LinkedIn profile: "Clients include a foreign government seeking help in dealing with an internal crisis."
According to the US registration documents the embassy was to pay him $20,000 (plus expenses) for a month's worth of services (renewable).
Joe Trippi & Associates is a D.C.-based media firm headed by Democratic political strategist Joe Trippi (@JoeTrippi), who managed Howard Dean's 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign. He was hired some time before August by Dr. Saqer Al Khalifa on behalf of Bahrain's Ministry of Information.
According to the registration documents, Trippi is tasked with providing "strategic counsel" and assisting "with outreach to members of the media and non-governmental organizations." The documents don't mention how much the Bahrain government is paying for the services.